Intec Alert

[csquared]

I had one of those near death experiences on Boxing Day and I think I should share it with anyone who uses boots with Intec heels.

I am on a pair of Raichle 324's that I bought 3 years ago and converted for Intec compatability. I have always had a slight paranoia about the Intec system and I have tried to pay close attention to the condition of the heels and the attachment screws. Last year I thought I noticed that the rear boot heel was starting to flex away from the boot if I pressured forward and to one side when the boot was engaged in the binding. Several times I took the boot off and tightened the screws as much as possible only to see the same effect after a few days. I began to conclude that I was imagining the problem as I couldn't see clearly what was happening when the boot was engaged. Finally after riding on Boxing Day, I decided to remove the heels and examine the issue more closely.

I was shocked to find that the threaded shanks of three of the 'T' nuts had fractured away from their flanges and I was riding with only one screw engaged. How could I not have noticed before? The problem was that the screws actually felt fully tightened every time I checked them because the threaded shanks had been turned down to the top of the plastic plate that covers the pin retraction mechanism and couldn't go further. Eventually, I discovered that the one 'T' nut left holding my back foot to my board was also fractured half way round its circumference. All four of the forward boot 'T' nuts also showed some fracturing. This was as close to disaster as I would ever like to come on a board.

Nothing was wrong with the Intec heels themselves and I decided that I might be able to salvage the boots by replacing the tee nuts. However, after about the 200 series of Raichle SB boots, they began moulding the 'T' nuts into the plastic shell and the flanges were still seemingly permanently buried in the plastic. I was in a quandary as to how to replace the 'T' nuts.

Dave Morgan to the rescue: i approached Dave and told him I needed a new set of boots because the others were a lost cause. Dave asked me to bring the boots over and we did a major root canal extraction on the 'T' nuts on both boots, driving them out the interior side of the plastic shell by using the most unsubtle methods. We fitted the boots with new 'T' nuts and I was back on the hill the next day.

The point of the story is: don't trust the screw tension on Intec heels to indicate that all is well. Take the heels right off the boots and examine the 'T' nuts carefully. This is very difficult where the 'T' nuts are embedded but with a strong flashlight and a magnifying glass, you should be able to get a look at the top of the 'T' nut and see cracks starting. The problem can be fixed but it takes some pursuasion to get the 'T' nuts out and replace them.

My current theory for why the cracking occurred is this: the 'T' nut is formed from a single piece of pressed metal and the flange to shaft junction is a hard 90 degree angle. This is likely because the 'T' nuts are also used for carpentry (where a high strength connection is desired but a nut would be inaccessible). Plastic is softer than wood and under heavy loading, the flange gets flexed down as the shaft pulls the center into the plastic. This is what creates the need for repetitive tightening of Intec heels screws during the first days of use: I thought it was the 'T' nut pulling deeper into the plastic shell but in fact the 'T' nut is being deformed. I am guessing that metal fatigue played some part in the shearing off of the 'T' nut shafts but I am also thinking that repeated tightening of the Intec heel screws placed the 'T' nuts under severe tension.

Now I want you to go get your boots, a number 2 Phillips, a flashlight, and a magnifying glass and do the inspection right away. If you don't, your own experience might not be of the somewhat edifying near-death type that mine was. If your 'T' nuts are in good shape, I think it may be possible to add a further measure of confidence and security by obtaining longer screws that would thread past the top of the 'T' nuts and permit a lock nut to be threaded on from the top (inside the boot) so that even if the 'T' nut shears, the nut on top will support the pull. An added benefit would be that the lock-nuts would prevent the screws from loosening. This should be workable with moulded-in 'T' nuts because the tops of the nuts are recessed below the footbed supports. I have not tried this as yet but I am going to try to source the hardware tomorrow and try it out.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Glad you found the cracked "Inserts" and you were not injured in a fall.

To be clear, the inserts that came in the boots cracked , correct?

Not the "T-nuts" that are provided with new intec heels?

They are offered in the new Intec Heel kit for boots that do not have molded inserts and the heels are just screwed into the plastic, however, I think it is

a good idea to use them even if there are original inserts. I have had virtually all of the original inserts crack if I did not replace or suppliment them straight away.

This is fairly common and has been covered numerous times.

A few photos. USE THIS INFO AT YOUR OWN RISK

First photo of boot with t-nuts installed

Second photo with original molded inserts

Third photo, t nuts with S/S allen bolts (note Dave Morgan recently pointed out that the smaller shoulder of these bolts may be drawn into the intec heel hole and cause issues. He suggested an appropriate washer)

However, if your well written description of your "Near Miss" prevents

another failure it is well worth the effort to revisit the issue.

Thanks for the post.

[Silver Bullet]

Thank you for reminding me of this. I've been meaning to check my boots for some time. I've just replaced the inserts in my boots and discovered that the T-Nuts that come with the Intec heals have a longer nut thereby engaging more screw. To get the old nuts out, I simply set a screw into the threads a few turns and hit it with a mallet. Quite simply really.

Do any of you remember if the screws that come with the heals are painted black? I've been going through my spare parts trying to make sure I have the right stuff installed.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Do any of you remember if the screws that come with the heals are painted black? I've been going through my spare parts trying to make sure I have the right stuff installed.

Yes, with phillips head. They are black, I don't think they are painted though.

[csquared]

The "inserts" that Brian mentions come moulded into the boot are in fact just garden variety 'T' nuts. Whereas they were installed on early boots in the more prosaic way, they started moulding them into the boots after the 200 /sb series. I don't think the 'inserts' differ in any significant way from the 'T' nuts that come with the Intec kits. The inserts would conflict with the spurs on a 'T' nut so if you want to replace/add new 'T' nuts, you would need to first remove the old 'inserts'. As noted above, you can do this by threading a screw full depth into the 'insert' and slamming the insert through the plastic shell into the interior of the boot but you need a heavy hammer and you will likely write off the screw in the process.

Oh, one other thing: the 'inserts' in the boots are silver and they are plated with some non-corroding metal (probably zinc). The 'T' nuts in the Intec kits are painted black. I did not see any corrosion on the silver inserts/T nuts when I removed these but I have seen corrosion on the black painted 'T' nuts on a previous set of boots. I am guessing that the paint is regular enamel applied directly over carbon steel and that these are somewhat more vulnerable to corrosion. So, at the end of the day, make sure that you take the liners out of your boots and dry the shells upside down to get any residual water out of them (there is always melting snow in mine; sometimes a good 1/2 cup full). There is not enough metal in the 'T' nuts that they can afford any corrosion and preserve their structural integrity.

It all sounds scary but I am not throwing away my Intecs. Bruce Varsava told me that he views the Intect heels like the trapeze harnesses he uses for kite-boarding: they wear over time and you should just scrap them every two years and replace them in their entirety. This is probably good advice depending on your frequency and extremity of use. The consequences of a failure are severe. Think how much care the ski shop technicians lavish on setting up safety bindings on skis. There is a whole book of ISO procedures related to setting release weights for ski bindings. We just throw those Intecs on our boots and have at it. A little more vigilence is required.

[durace]

I just got in new 325's and mounted my intecs, should I replace the inserts? Has Deeluxe "fixed" the pull out issue? I didn't pay much attention to the type of nuts that were in there. I saw that it was metal and didn't think much of the type of fastner.

Paul

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Photo of the painted "t-nut" would help?

I recall the green plastic bag in all of my Intec parts kits having the silver (colored) plated "T-Nuts" . It is possible that the parts are not always the same.

Yes, I have seen the original molded inserts corrode.

I have also heard it is possible to simply drill them out with a 1/4" drill , then insert the new barbed "T-nut" directly in.

Use this information at your own risk. Do the research.

[csquared]

The O.D. of the 'T' nut flange is +/- 5/8" so a 1/4" drill bit would only take out the threaded shank leaving the retainer flange in place. This would obstruct the spurs on the new 'T' nut so I don't think drilling is really the way to go. You really have to drive the 'T' nuts right out of the boot shell. The plastic seems to be able to take this brutality without noticeable damage.

I don't have any black 'T' nuts kicking around to send an image of. However, the finish is definitely paint because of the sheen (as opposed to black oxide which I have sometimes seen on 'T' nuts). It is a good idea to replace the stock screws with stainless if you can source them (YYZ Canuck stocks them but a good fastener distributor should be able to provide them). Oh yes, and don't use the hex socket cap screws that Brian shows in his post. The diameter of the heads is smaller and this puts more strain on the Intec heel plastic chasis. You want a stainless steel M4 (going from memory: might be an M5; use a thread sizer to check) Phillips drive round head machine screw.

[bschurman]

Here is a picture of the old and new tee nuts that come with the Intec heels. The new ones are painted black. Not sure if they are the same underneath. Next to that is the M5x20mm pan head screw that comes with the heels. Next is a M5x20mm stainless pan head. Next to that is an M5x20mm stainless hex cap bolt replacement and the appropriate M5 washer so that that head is the same diameter as the pan head screw.

One thing to mention is that carbon steel is stronger then stainless. Stainless is more brittle so you don't want to let them get loose so they can get worked. You've all seen what happens to a paper clip when you bend it back and forth a few times. However, carbon steel will corrode so it IS work replacing the whole works every year. The tee nuts/bolts are very inexpensive when compared to the alternative. :-)

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Well done as usual Ben!!

Thanks!!

Had not seen the new "Painted" T-nuts.

Drilled and installed a numerous pairs without issue. The barbs from the t-nut bite in around the original. The new threaded shaft of the T-nut goes right down the 1/4" hole and is nice and snug. There are probably good and bad issues with both methods.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I just got in new 325's and mounted my intecs, should I replace the inserts? Has Deeluxe "fixed" the pull out issue? I didn't pay much attention to the type of nuts that were in there. I saw that it was metal and didn't think much of the type of fastner.

Paul

It is up to you. Many have not and evidently done fine. Others, well, not so fine. Are you a heavy rider? Ride hard? I would look at it pretty seriously.

In either case, check them from time to time CAREFULLY!! As described by the original poster.

A search may net you more helpful info too.

No one is likely going to answer this definitively for you.

Use this information at your own risk.

[durace]

I'm 150lbs on a heavy day and have hooves not feet I'm a 24 Mondo. I was looking for an educated opinion and I got one. Thanks. I'm pretty carefull with my gear and check it before each ride. I did just order a big boy board so I should keep a closer eye on it. I'm sure I can talk Ben into letting me in on where he gets his hardwear.

Thanks,

Paul

[bschurman]

Paul,

24! Damn, my 6 week old son is almost a 24.

Are you riding tomorrow? I'll be up there and we can discuss your options for hardware etc... If not, I'm sure I'll catch up with you this winter sometime.

->Ben

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

I'm 150lbs on a heavy day and have hooves not feet I'm a 24 Mondo. I was looking for an educated opinion and I got one. Thanks. I'm pretty carefull with my gear and check it before each ride. I did just order a big boy board so I should keep a closer eye on it. I'm sure I can talk Ben into letting me in on where he gets his hardwear.

Thanks,

Paul

Sounds like you are set. I think I have photos of failed inserts in the archives somewhere. When you look down inside your boots, it can appear that there is just a stain or scale deposit (from moisture) however, in my case the stains were in fact cracks. I fortunately had only a partical failure and the heel "popped" and then I looked down and saw a big gap between the intec heel and the boot shell. Not good. That was the last time I depended on the original molded inserts.

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

Paul,

24! Damn, my 6 week old son is almost a 24.

Are you riding tomorrow? I'll be up there and we can discuss your options for hardware etc... If not, I'm sure I'll catch up with you this winter sometime.

->Ben

Jealous!!

Damn, must be nice!

I am pretty sure Ben and I are both 29M, seeing I just wore out one of his hand me downs last year

[www.oldsnowboards.com]

my 6 week old son is almost a 24.

Congrats Ben!!!

[durace]

Ouch Ben that hurt. But hey I don't have to worry about overhang. I'm not there tomorrow but I plan to get there on the 10th you up then? EZE made fun of me riding the F2 158 so I picked up an AM172 Coiler metal should be here by the end of the week.:D I can't do much about the boot size though well I could get a 30M and put both feet in one.

Paul